Measures to eliminate international terrorism - A/80/177
🇮🇳 India, 🇵🇰 Pakistan
their right of reply. Now there are some rules to the right of reply, so I should remind the committee of those rules. The number of interventions in the exercise of the right of reply for any delegation at a given meeting is limited to two per item. The first intervention should not exceed ten minutes, and the second intervention should not exceed five minutes. This is all contained in Annex 5 to the Rules of Procedure, if anyone else was wondering, like I was. In view of the tight schedule that we have, uh I encourage everyone to exercise the right of reply as briefly as possible and remain within these limits.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am exercising my right of reply to respond to the expected and of course baseless remarks made by the representative of Pakistan. It is, of course, no surprise that this delegation, as always, has acted in a reflexive manner in making unwarranted references to the Indian Union and territory of Joman Kashmir. This platform has been repeatedly misused to propagate such misinformation and disinformation, and it is a futile exercise. The international community stands witness to Pakistan's sponsorship of cross border terrorism and its use of terrorism as a tool of state policy directed against India. The most recent being the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22nd April, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians. This is a country that at the highest levels proclaimed that it would bleed its neighbor India by a thousand cuts through ruthless, bloody cross-border terrorism and has done so over decades. Mr. Chair, the world is not naive. Promises to counter terrorism and partner in the global fight against terrorism have coexisted with the sheltering of Osama bin Laden for a decade in Pakistan. There is today a steely resolve in my country to confront this menace. Fear and hatred will not deter us, but further strengthen our commitment. We will overcome this malign agenda and fight terrorism with firm national determination and comprehensive international cooperation. The world stands as one against this courage. I thank you.
Thank you, Chair, for giving me the floor. Uh, I would like to exercise my right of reply to the comments made by one member state that not only perpetrates state terrorism but also peddles disinformation and propaganda and proliferates hate through false narratives as part of its narrow foreign policy agenda. We heard remarks in the context of Pahilga made earlier. As a responsible member of the international community, Pakistan, as an elected non permanent member of the Security Council, joined fellow council members in unequivocally condemning this attack. Pakistan also offered an independent and credible investigation, but we are yet to see evidence of the perpetrators of this attack, details of which remain unknown. Not only was Pakistan's offer rejected, but it was attacked, its sovereignty violated, and fifty-four innocent Pakistani civilians were martyred, fifteen of them children, thirteen women in a blatant act of aggression. This behavior sets a dangerous precedent, providing a template for states that seek to intimidate their neighbors. The global community should not afford to ignore such errant and rogue behavior. The naked act of aggression and violation of our sovereignty met a befitting, proportionate response in accordance with our right to self defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which was duly exercised with maturity, exhibiting proportionate, minutely calibrated and manifestly restrained response that resulted in Pakistan's resounding success in thwarting this threat, ending with a ceasefire brokered with the good officers of the United States at the request of New Delhi. This malicious accusations of cross-border terrorism are a deliberate attempt to repeat lies until they are accepted as the truth, which is far from ground realities. This country is not only a regional bully, but a net destabilizer in the entire region, holding South Asia hostage to its hegemonic designs and Hindutva ideology that inspires hate, divisions, and xenophobia. First, it is this country that illegally occupies territories, oppresses indigenous populations, and violates fundamental human rights, as is the case in Indian, illegally occupied Jemmu in Kashmir, the disputed status of which is recognized by the UN, where we have all gathered here today. To deny these realities is a violation of international law and a disrespect to a rules-based international order. I need not elaborate on the scheme of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, stage encounters, and collective punishment under the cover of counterterrorism laws that this country pursues. Second, it is this country that sponsors terrorist organizations in its neighborhood, particularly Pakistan, by sponsoring and financing terrorist entities. Third, it is this country that runs a global campaign of extraterritorial assassinations and clandestine proxies on our soil and beyond, including the United States and Canada. Fourth, it has become a routine script. Whenever an incident occurs, Pakistan is reflexively blamed without any shred of evidence, logic, or any investigation. Chair, Pakistan remains committed to peace. We have consistently offered dialogue. The lives of 1.5 billion people of South Asia deserve prosperity and stability. But let it be very clear. These goals cannot be achieved through threats and intimidation. True progress requires sincerity, mutual respect, and genuine diplomacy, principles that Pakistan has upheld, which this particular Member State must finally choose to embrace if it truly seeks peace. I thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the representative of Pakistan for the statement on the exercise of the right of reply. Unless we have any other requests for the exercise of right of reply, of which I am not aware at this point. And it is confirmed. Then I will just announce that the next meeting of the Sixth Committee will take place tomorrow, October 8th at 10 a.m. in this room. And we will continue and hopefully conclude the debate on this agenda item 109, measures to eliminate international terrorism. After that, the committee should turn to agenda item 137, program planning, and then we will continue with a debate on agenda item 84, the rule of law at the national and international levels. Now, with my thanks to the representative of the Secretariat for all the help, this meeting is adjourned.
Verbatim from the transcript. A reply is identified from its own words, the Chair's grant, or its place in the right-of-reply sequence; delegations and addressees follow the transcript's attribution.